


Horizons

by Aki_Sage



Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-15 01:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8036173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aki_Sage/pseuds/Aki_Sage
Summary: Since moving in with the X-men Kurt has felt like an outcast among outcasts.  After hoping to feel like he'd finally found his family, he is instead left with an emptiness he doesn't know how to fill.  Will Pietro be able to fill this void, or will Kurt's dark past be the end for both our boys?





	1. And Away I Go

**Author's Note:**

> Hello loyal readers! I previously had this posted to ffnet, but found the site to be too stifling to creativity. I'm refurbishing this fic and posting it here instead. Hopefully I can do justice to our awesome archive community! I take forever to post, so I'm apologizing ahead of time for the agonizing wait.

The day had started out alright. Who knew it could go downhill so quickly? 

Getting out of bed at 9am for a 10am danger room session never seemed as displeasing as it had this morning. Kurt, being a late sleeper, simply popped himself downstairs for breakfast. Sadly for him this caused Jean to jump in surprise and Scott to glare at him. He had apologized quietly and slunk through the routine of breakfast, popping back upstairs to change into his uniform.

Luckily he hadn't scared anyone by teleporting into the danger room. Wolverine was in a mood and training had been even rougher than usual. By the end of the session he felt like a pariah, smelling of wet fur and being avidly avoided by Kitty--he’d been a bit hasty in shaking off. Evan just had to be the one goofing around and Kurt just had to be the one to save him from an “acid” jet. He was able to pop out quickly afterward and avoid getting lectured by Scott about not being aware of his surroundings--for some reason, of course, it was all his fault.

Now as Kurt stepped out of the shower, his fur sporting a nice shampoo aroma instead of wet fur smell, he dried himself off in his room and looked himself over in the mirror. He had his own room--thankfully--but couldn't help thinking it was only because no one wanted to room with a “monster”.

Pulling on his clothing--complete with special cargo pants custom made to fit his strange body--Kurt ended his morning flopped back on the bed, emotionally and physically exhausted. Sure it was different here at the institute, with no one chasing him with torches, but most of his so called friends still tried to avoid him like the plague. He was sure of it. Whether it was Kitty's twitchiness, or Scott's glares, they all thought he was a freak of nature, and that was something, coming from a bunch of mutant teenagers.

At least they collectively hated the brotherhood more. He may look like some kind of demon, but at least he didn't secrete mucus like Toad! Kurt shivered at the image but calmed as his thoughts traveled through the rest of the brotherhood. His mind brought him to one member especially, whom he had been thinking about quite a lot lately.

Quicksilver.

Pietro Maximoff.

The only person who hadn't made fun of how he looked. 

Instead he had hovered around Kurt, always battling him in the group fights they often had. It never seemed like a battle to Kurt. At least, not the type he had been training for in the danger room. It had been teasing words about his team. Snarky comments about his uniform followed by being turned into a wannabe mannequin. Never anything about his tail, or his legs and feet, or fingers, or fur.

The worse he'd gotten was about his hair being so long, and the gust from Pietro's speed had made his hair fan out behind him, somehow breaking away from its band. His hair had grown much longer since he'd been living at the institution, now almost to the bottom of his shoulder blades.

As he continued to think of Pietro he grew antsy.

Kurt rolled onto his stomach, smothering his growl of frustration with his pillow. He was hard, damn it! This was so stupid! One, he should not be thinking about the enemy unless it involved battle strategies, and two, Pietro would never come near him if it wasn't for fights. Kurt sighed into his pillow, waiting to calm down enough before he had to go downstairs for food. His stomach gurgled angrily. "Damn fast metabolism" Kurt growled, matching his stomach. Maybe he could just pop down and back up really fast and no one would notice his raging hard on.

Not a chance, he thought, as he shifted in bed and gasped softly, realizing his mistake. It was a good thing the professor and Jean couldn't get into his head, thanks to some quirk in his power, or they'd be blinded by all the images cascading through it in that moment.

Pietro in his room.

Pietro caressing his fur with warm hands.

Pietro's lips roughly pressed against his own.

Pietro hovering over him, touching him, kissing him, rubbing against him.

Pietro, Pietro, Pietro!

He had Pietro on the brain and realized the stiffness in his pants wasn't going away on its own, especially as he'd practically been dry humping the bed during these thoughts. God, he was just like a disgusting animal. He wished in some alternate dimension Pietro might want him, even just a little. He wished Pietro might look at him with love, or desire, or a sincere smile for his furry countenance.

'Stupid internet' he thought angrily. Everything he had ever wanted to know about the world had been one click away. What he was feeling now, the fact he was gay, how to solve the "problem", all in one little electrical box.

Looking toward his door and then toward the clock he ran through his options. Being almost noon he knew any moment someone would be sent to get him for lunch, especially if he didn't show up. Missing the X-man that eats the most would send the X-men into a frenzy thinking he'd been attacked or something. 'I wish' He thought, again imagining Pietro.

A knock came at the door a second before Kitty's head phased through. He thanked his Gods he was still face down against the bed, or she would have had an eyeful. Like he assumed, she told him about lunch and left, and he was alone to stamp down his desire and sneak to the kitchen for food. He made it back to his room unscathed, his passion for Pietro no longer noticeable.

He needed a break from the mansion, needed to get away from the strange looks and awkward, forced conversations. He stuffed his meager belongings into the duffel bag he had brought with him from Germany before porting himself outside. Carefully, he snuck down the road, image inducer secure, duffel bag over shoulder.


	2. Hitch a Ride

Being woken by another earthquake from Lance started Pietro's day on a bad note. After speeding through getting dressed he ran downstairs, glaring at his team as they fought over something, again!

"Hey! Shaddup!" He yelled at the boys who were now practically destroying the kitchen. His head was pounding from the noise as he prepared and devoured his gigantic bowl of sugary cereal. It was afternoon by now, as he had slept in as late as possible. Although it was Saturday the team had nothing planned and he was feeling exceptionally lazy as it was. His team, however, seemed wired, still running around half fighting, half trying to avoid the silver haired boy whose father could squish them like bugs.

He finished his cereal, and after rinsing the dish in the sink he placed it in the dishwasher which had somehow yet to be destroyed. As he meandered into the living room he found the team now fighting over what to watch and he snapped at them again.

"Hey, why don't you guys get out for a while? Go see Kitty or something, Lance." The younger boy perked at the thought and dashed out the door with a 'later!' Now two more and he had the whole house to himself. Supposedly, considering no one ever knew where Mystique was at any given moment.

Toad looked up from the couch, asking "What are we supposed to do, dawg?" Pietro frowned at him.

"Go to the fair or something. It's been advertised everywhere for the last week, just in the city one over."

Toad scoffed at the ground, "I ain't goin' to no fair dawg, that's gay yo!"

Pietro twitched angrily and Toad blanched. "Hey man, I didn't mean it, I forgot! For realz!" Toad scrambled off the couch and backed up slowly, keeping his eyes glued to the speedster. After the incident of finding some explicit magazines in Pietro's room instead of the few bucks he had been looking to "borrow", everyone knew about Pietro's…lifestyle choices.

Pietro glared at the boy who hopped onto the end of the couch farthest away from him, cowering behind his massive teammate for safety. Blob huffed in annoyance as he settled on a channel while Toad continued to apologize. Pietro decided to ignore them. So maybe they made a few lewd jokes about his 'gayness' every now and then, but at least he had been accepted. That is, as long as he didn't hit on any of them. As if he would even want to. He groaned in frustration.

"I'm going to the gay fair, stay out of my room!" Toad nodded and Blob huffed as he walked out the door, laziness no longer pulling him down. All he wanted to do now was get out of the house, and the fair would keep him entertained, at least. Either way he would probably be thinking of a certain blue someone the entire time. All his feelings had come to the surface the first time he had seen the boy in one of their many battles with the X-men.

He was obsessed with Nightcrawler. Every battle he fixated on him and no one else, though he was sure the younger boy and newest X-man must have just thought he had some insane hatred for the fuzzy boy.

Pietro sighed, coming to a pause at the bus stop. He didn't feel like running, and he had enough change in his pocket to get him there and back on the bus.

He stepped into the bus and decided his day was looking up as he walked down the narrow aisle toward the person who dominated his thoughts. This would be a good day if he could convince Kurt to come with him, and it didn't look like it would be too hard as Pietro laid eyes on the duffel bag next to the disguised X-man.

Sitting down right next to the boy, who didn't seem to notice at first, he saw his opening for conversation in the form of the Manga the boy was reading. He couldn't tell from the cover, as it had been obscured by paper, but from the art inside he knew it to be My Little Butterfly. 

He chose his words carefully. If he could hope, even for a second, that Kurt reading this particular Manga meant what he thought it meant, then he would be one step closer to having Kurt.


	3. We Meet at Last

Kurt had had enough. Sure his team might laugh at a few of his jokes every now and then, but most of them still flinched whenever he turned off his image inducer.

Stepping on the bus a "normal" looking Kurt dropped some change into the box and the driver gave him a ticket. Taking a seat in the very back, he mulled over his decision. Everything he owned--which wasn’t much--was settled inside the duffel bag on the seat next to him. Besides a few Manga, everything he owned was mostly clothing.

He rummaged through his bag and picked one out. Wrapped in a brown paper cover with anime doodles all over it, the Manga's title or anything about it couldn't be made out. Kurt had done this on purpose. If the X-men cringed at his harmless, soft blue fur, he didn't want to think of what they would do if they found out he was gay.

That's right, he liked guys, and since he'd settled into the mansion he knew it was not something that would be accepted without a fight.

Kurt looked down at the Manga, reading it for what must have been the hundredth time, he contemplated how much he seemed to resemble one of the main characters. 'My Little Butterfly' Kurt thought gloomily. He wished he was more like Kojima, smiley and talkative, like how he had started out and tried to be. Right now he seemed to be turning into Nakahara, running away, though there was no vast sea to cross.

Nothing awaited him back at the only real home he'd ever had, for his foster parents had been murdered before he had been taken in by the professor. Killed because of him, because he was a monster. Kurt thought this escape was the best choice, so noone had to be burdened by him. He had everything he really needed. He could be a street dancer or something, his strange body allowed him to do all sorts of flips and tricks without even trying.

Taking a deep breath he began to calm down, convincing himself he would be OK. The bus was well on its way, the people were quiet and the air had a sweet scent to it. He wasn't expecting the latter, considering everyone thought of public transportation as dirty and horrid. He fit right in, he thought.

The seat jostled as someone sat down next to him and he took another deep breath, realizing the reason for the bus not smelling as horrid as it supposedly should was because of whoever sat next to him. Recognizing the scent but not being able to connect it to a person he glanced up, only to find the enemy’s team leader right next to him.

Pietro himself didn't seem fazed in the least as he gazed down at Kurt. The taller boy's eyes flicked to the book he had splayed on his lap. Before Kurt could even think of hiding it, or even try to teleport out of there, Pietro had used his speed to nab the book out of his hands.

"Hmmmm…" Pietro hummed, much to Kurt's worry. He blanched and covered his face with his odd hands.

'Oh no, he'll see that and think I'm even more of a freak', Kurt thought frantically. Pietro let out an awkward laugh, as if he couldn't believe something.

'This is it, he's found the perfect thing to hold against me. Now he'll tease me non-stop and go tell the X-men all about their perverted little monster. Not like it matters anymore, maybe this is my walk of shame to be able to get away and be alone.' Kurt's thoughts raced as he freaked out. However, as soon as Pietro spoke, his thoughts calmed. He stared at the older boy, shocked.

"Great Yaoi, why'd you put this weird cover on it?" Pietro questioned.

'Weird? The cover? Not me?' Kurt continued to stare, lacking any voice for his answer. Pietro continued, despite the gaping male beside him.

"The best part is the butterflies, cuz in the end you still don't know if Nakahara can ever have his feelings returned, but it is hopeful." Pietro paused, staring back at the surprised holographic form of Kurt. 

Narrowing his eyes he prepared to snap at the normally blue X-man. He'd had a horrible day so far, but when he’d gotten on the bus and seen Kurt his mood had soared. Not because he could tease the younger male, but because he also seemed to be having a bad day. Pietro's day had improved greatly when he'd grabbed the Manga away from Kurt and seen it was a Yaoi. In that moment something seemed to be going right in his world as he's found another Yaoi lover, and possibly gay teen.

Maybe, just maybe, they could find acceptance in one another, despite the fact they were on different teams. They could be like Romeo and Juliet. A gay, mutant genes, Romeo and Juliet.


	4. Of Cotton Candy and Ribbons

_"The best part is the butterflies, cuz in the end you still don't know if Nakahara can ever have his feelings returned, but it is hopeful." Pietro stopped, staring back at the surprised holoform of Kurt._

"What?" Pietro snapped. The object of his affection was still staring at him, mouth agape. The younger boy started and quickly looked down at his hands clenched tightly in his lap.

"I, I just…wasn't expecting that." Kurt replied, watching out of the corner of his eye as Pietro went back to smiling. Why was he so happy? Kurt glanced back up at the silver haired figure and they continued to gaze at each other until they blushed and looked away.

"So, where are you going?" Pietro asked nervously, glancing at the duffel bag. He returned the Manga to Kurt and watched as he quickly stashed it back in the bag.

"Nowhere" Kurt replied, feeling very shy all of a sudden.

"You don't have to tell me, I was just trying to keep the conversation going" Pietro ground out before turning to stare dejectedly out the window.

"Nein! That’s not it! I really meant nowhere, I have nowhere to go." Kurt reassured quickly, reaching out and resting his hand on the slim boys crossed arms. He tugged gently in an effort to get him to stop pouting. Pietro turned toward Kurt and both blushed lightly at how close they had gotten. "Ah…" Kurt moved back to his spot and Pietro stopped pouting abruptly.

"Um…if you have nothing to do….then maybe…" Pietro paused, clearing his throat, wondering why he was so nervous. "You wanna come with me to a fair in the next city?" Kurt nodded and happily accepted. Luckily conversation was easily started again and the time flew by on the hour trip.

When they finally reached the fairgrounds they found a locker to stash Kurt's duffel bag in, taking the key with them as they explored. After trying out every ride they could possibly think of they ended up nabbing some cotton candy and sitting down to see a small acrobatics performance. 

The two boys had gotten to know a lot about each other over the past few hours and were still happily chatting away with no end to their conversation in sight. However, they quieted as two ribbons descended from the rafters of the stage and a woman stepped out and started to climb. Pietro watched on in awe as the woman swung around the stage and practically rolled like a yo-yo up and down the ribbon. 

Kurt smiled at the look of awe on Pietro's face. He knew those ribbons very well, they had been an unpleasant part of his past, after the nice German couple had accepted him into their lives and then--

For some reason, though, Pietro's look tugged at something inside of him and he found himself wanting to impress the taller teen.

"You know…" he started, waiting for Pietro to look over at him in askance. Kurt looked away and gestured with a nod of his head as he spoke, "I can do that…." Kurt blushed a lovely purple. This was stupid, now Pietro probably just thought he was weird and would want to know how, and then he'd have to explain things he really didn't want to. Kurt was surprised when Pietro gasped.

"Are you serious? That's amazing!" Kurt’s blush remained strong, though for a completely different reason.

He glanced up at Pietro, "Really? Amazing?"

"Definitely! I wish I could do something like that! I can't even juggle!" Pietro responded, taking a hasty, excited bite from his cotton candy. Kurt grinned at him.

"You can avoid things at high speed!" Pietro laughed and agreed. They were mutants after all, they could practically be the main attractions. As Pietro thought about it he realized what Kurt had said before. Had he been in a circus? He glanced down at the shorter boy uncomfortably, not wanting to voice his stupid question.

"What…" he started, but stopped at the zoned-out look on Kurt's face. Kurt looked timid for a second, taking the question as asking what he was doing zoning out, not realizing it could be part of a more menacing conversation. All questions were forgotten as Kurt moved closer, mumbling something about cotton candy before he moved in and ran his tongue across the edge of Pietro's mouth and up his cheek.

Kurt’s entire body froze up, if only for a second. Both teens were blushing furiously as Kurt jolted away, squeaking an apology. Pietro shook his head, clearing his surprise, before he leaned toward Kurt. Pausing right in front of the younger male's face as Kurt looked up, Pietro spoke.

"Don't be" he stated, before claiming Kurt's lips with his own. Kurt melted beneath his touch, this was a dream come true!

Pietro couldn't believe he was kissing the young mutant, his excitement making him want to vibrate right out of his seat. He rested a hand against Kurt's cheek and felt the warm fur hidden by the holographic form. Pietro felt the younger teen tense, but relax as his other hand reached up to tangle in Kurt's hair, pulling the fuzzy boy closer. The blue fur caressed his face as he deepened the kiss, nipping at Kurt's bottom lip. It was soft and warm, lacking the usual fur seen elsewhere. Kurt sighed into the kiss, parting his lips and allowing Pietro to explore his mouth, tasting the sweetness of the cotton candy.

Suddenly they jumped back in surprise as a loud voice boomed out of the speaker next to them. They looked toward the stage to see a few members of the audience there and one man with a microphone gesturing toward them.

"The lovely young couple, come on down! Learn what circus magic is all about!" The man continued gesturing wildly to come join them as Kurt, embarrassed, frantically shook his head back and forth. Pietro jumped up and tugged Kurt with him, seeing that the audience members on stage were learning things like juggling and handstands.

"Come on! Show them what 'circus magic' is all about! I wanna see you!" Pietro said with a light smile as he copied the tone of the announcer's voice.

"All right" Kurt assented and followed Pietro down to the stage. The idea was beginning to stir up some excitement. He would actually get to show off for Pietro, and he was still feeling giddy after that kiss. Both ducked their heads with shy smiles when the announcer welcomed the 'couple' to the stage. 

Ending up at the ribbons, Kurt started stretching as Pietro asked the woman if Kurt could try them out. She laughed and nodded, thinking the boy would just run around with the ribbons trailing behind him like wings, like most of the younger kids did. She was surprised, however, and stayed to watch with Pietro as Kurt expertly began climbing the ribbons and wrapping himself up to perform tricks.

After a couple tricks, and more than a few amazed looks from Pietro, he slid back down the ribbon and landed on the ground. Pietro clapped excitedly while the nice woman ran off saying her boss just had to see this. 

As Kurt slipped away from the ribbons there was an unwelcome tug at his arm. He froze as he felt a familiar loss of something he had become most accustomed to. Blanching, he saw Pietro freeze as well, but expected him to run away or tease him, not what happened next. Before he could even think about porting to safety Pietro was pressed flush against him and he saw a red ribbon, makeshift curtain thrust between them and the audience, hiding them from view.

"What happened?" The speedster quietly asked. Kurt was thankful for Pietro's quick thinking as he frantically tinkered with his watch. His eyes widened as nothing was happening.

"I…I don't know, something is wrong!" he hissed.

"Hold on." Pietro quickly picked him up bridal style as if he weighed nothing. Kurt's vision blurred as Quicksilver dashed away from the stage, out of the gates, and into a darkened alleyway across the street. They left a confused ribbon acrobat wondering where they had disappeared to and many more people questioning the sudden breeze.

Hiding out in the alleyway Kurt clutched at Pietro as he was set down.

"Are you OK?" Pietro asked him, receiving only an 'ugg' from Kurt. It was expected that Kurt would be dizzy after that fast escape, but Pietro was just glad the teen was latched onto him as though he would fly away if he let go. He stared down at Kurt's blue form, smiling at the revealed fur and tail. Kurt got over his dizziness and watched Pietro smiling at him. Why wasn't he looking away?

"I've never seen your fur this up close before" Pietro stated calmly. Kurt looked down ashamed, but jumped as Pietro's hands moved up his arms through his fur. "It's so soft, I like it." He continued and Kurt shivered. "Did I hurt you?" Pietro asked worriedly and pulled away, but Kurt stopped him, hand grasping one pale wrist.

"Nein! It…It felt good." He laughed nervously and let Pietro go. Said boy tilted the fuzzy face back with a hand on his chin and kissed the blue teen's lips gently.

"I…like you." Pietro stated lamely, but was rewarded by Kurt wrapping his arms around the slightly taller male's neck and kissing him deeply. Pulling away, both boys smiled at each other before Kurt's smile fell and he sighed. Pietro raised an eyebrow in question.

"My watch, what are we gonna do?" He gestured at his watch in question. Pietro smiled at him again.

"Think you can survive another run?" Kurt gulped and looked unsure, before nodding slowly. 

"Here, just close your eyes this time" Pietro suggested, and Kurt did so as he wrapped his arms around Pietro's neck and felt strong arms cradling him against a warm chest. It was much easier having his eyes closed and he was only slightly thrown off balance by the time they ended up stopped at the mansion, out of sight of the main gate.

Set safely on the ground once more, Kurt thread his three fingers with Pietro's five and smiled as he saw Pietro didn't even bat an eyelash.

"When will I see you again?" Kurt asked, worried that this was a one in a million experience, and he never wanted it to end. 

"Whenever you want, do you have a cell phone?" Pietro asked, pulling out his own.

"Ja!" Kurt excitedly admitted. "But…it's back in the mansion, here" Kurt entered his own number into the phone Pietro previously held and handed it back, receiving a chaste kiss.

"You better get inside before the 'X-team' can worry any more about the lack of their amazing blue wonder" Pietro said, frowning at the thought of leaving Kurt. Kurt scoffed and rolled his eyes, but grudgingly agreed. He _needed_ that inducer.

They parted with promises of late night texting and returned to their given 'homes', with Pietro taking a detour to drop by the fair once more, planning to surprise Kurt tomorrow with a special visit.


	5. Shopping Fluff

Kurt sighed into his pillow, thankful that today was Sunday. The rest of his Saturday had been consumed by homework, epic danger room practice as punishment for disappearing earlier, and thoughts about his circus adventure. He groaned tiredly at his clock, it was only ten in the morning and he wondered what in the world had woken him up on the only day he ever got to sleep in.

Sitting up he pushed his hair away from his eyes, looking over his room. Realizing once more that he still lacked the duffel bag he huffed, angry he'd had no chance to port back to grab it earlier. By the time he finally had a chance he was too tired to even move. The carnies had probably already ransacked his belongings, but he did take some sweet pleasure in knowing Pietro still had their locker key.

He looked up as he heard a noise.

Was that what had woken him up? He jolted when there was a thud against his balcony window. Moving to said window he pulled back the curtains to reveal Pietro, smirking while leaning against the railing, familiar duffel bag slung over a slim shoulder. Kurt gaped at him, surprised he was here, but even more surprised at the duffel bag.

"You went back for it?" Kurt asked and saw Pietro laugh and point at the sliding window's handle. 

"Oh!" Kurt quickly unlocked the door and slid it open with a flustered hello and Pietro chuckled as he moved inside.

"Hi." He smiled at Kurt, who hadn't bothered putting on his image inducer, although it had been fixed yesterday by the Professor. Kurt subconsciously tugged at the fur on his neck but Pietro stopped him, pulling away the nervous hand and holding it in his own. Dropping the duffel bag, Pietro pulled the furry, bed-headed boy closer to him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Kurt had other ideas however, and wrapped his arms around Pietro's neck, deepening the kiss. So far this had been the best part of his day, despite the fact he had just woken up. He decided it was making up for his horrible Saturday.

"What a greeting!" Pietro said when they had to pull back for air. Kurt blushed and chuckled nervously.

"I missed you." Kurt stated to his bedroom wall. Pietro gently grasped his chin and moved dark eyes back to look at his own.

"Apparently!" The taller male joked, making Kurt huff in mock annoyance. "I missed you too" he continued, before moving to pick up the discarded duffel bag, which he presented to Kurt. "Here." He handed the bag over and it was taken from him gratefully.

"Thank you, I was so worried, I thought this was a lost cause for sure!" Kurt walked toward his bed and set the duffel bag down. Turning hesitantly, he watched Pietro look around his room. Pietro finally turned back to him with a quizzical expression. Kurt ran his fingers through his messy hair self consciously.

"Your room looks so…empty?" Pietro stated, though his surprise turned it into a question. This caused Kurt to laugh and run to his closet. He threw open the sliding door revealing the utter emptiness inside, turning back to a surprised looking Pietro he smiled widely.

"Everything I own is right in there" he admitted as he pointed to the duffel bag sitting lonely on the bed. Pietro gaped at him as he trotted back to his original place in front of the speedster. "It's all right though, I don't find myself needing very much" he explained to the still gaping teen. Pietro sobered and reached out for one of Kurt's hands, cradling it between his own.

"Oh" he supplied, but Kurt could tell he sounded a bit worried.

A blue hand tugged Pietro toward the messy bed and he sat, still staring around in disbelief. He jerked out of his stupor when he felt warm lips caressing his neck with butterfly kisses. Turning to look at the younger boy beside him he watched as Kurt pulled away looking sheepish.

"Better now?" Pietro nodded with a chuckle and leaned over to run his fingers through Kurt's messy hair.

"Let's hang out today, we can do whatever you want" Pietro suggested, smiling at the way Kurt's eyes closed as he leaned his head into the touch.

"Alright, I would love to" Kurt enthused, but soon pulled away from Pietro's touch with a frown set in place "but...the professor, he's watching my porting to make sure I don't leave, since I'm basically grounded" Kurt pouted. Pietro had to stop from laughing at how cute it made the fuzzy boy look, so instead he kissed Kurt's frown away.

"Can't we just walk right out of here? I mean, I bet he's not watching for you to walk anywhere". Kurt frowned for a moment before jumping up, suddenly excited.

"Why didn't I think of that? I'm too used to porting!" Kurt descended on his duffel bag, turning it upside down on his bed, and rifled through the pile of belongings as he decided on what to wear for the day. Pietro frowned slightly at the meager contents of the bag, but grinned quickly when Kurt glanced at him curiously. Waving the blue boy away to get changed he waited patiently as Kurt darted out of the room. He returned a few minutes later, chucking the old cloths onto his desk chair. 

Strapping his image inducer into place and activating it he smiled and turned toward Pietro, who pouted at the loss of his real Kurt, but extended his hand for the boy to take.

"Shall we?" Pietro asked, and was pleased as Kurt's hand immediately slipped comfortably into his own, accompanied by a delighted nod. Both walked out onto the balcony and Kurt slid the door closed. Pietro easily ran them both to the ground and across the grass until they were over the fence and out of sight, where he finally set Kurt down gently. He could tell Kurt was getting used to the speed, and that caused warmth to well in Pietro's chest.

They decided to go to the mall and Pietro led the teleporter down the road a bit to where his sporty motorcycle was waiting. Having fixed it up after his trip with Kurt to the fair, another surprise along with the duffel bag, he now had the means to take Kurt wherever either wanted to go, without the trouble of running or porting.

Kurt held on tightly all the way to the mall as an excuse to be closer to the other male, though both agreed it was simply from concern at riding such a vehicle for the first time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They had been wandering around the mall for a while now, checking out random stores and listening to the musicians looking to make a few bucks off their talent. It was already around noon and both boys were famished. Pietro had insisted Kurt just had to check out one more shop and so found himself being led into some kind of gothic punk store he'd wanted to look at forever. The silver haired male had smiled when he told him so and ushered him inside, silently congratulating himself on his good choice.

It was time to put his plan into action. Dragging Kurt from rack to rack he made the younger male pick out things to try on. A fashion show, he had said, egging the boy on. After about nine outfits and much hilarious banter, Kurt finally escaped trying on the clothing and was jokingly banished to wait outside the store. Pietro assured him he'd be out in a moment. Kurt waited in a seating area right outside the store, giving the door suspicious glances every few seconds.

Finally Pietro had emerged carrying two big bags full of clothing, much to Kurt's unease.

"What are those for?" He asked the mysteriously acting male, who simply smiled, stuck out his tongue, and replied they were for Kurt. Said boy sputtered and blushed. "But, but why? You didn't have to buy all that for me!" Pietro responded as he teasingly kept the bags from the holo-formed boy’s reach

"I did and I wanted to, so let's just say I'm spoiling you!" Kurt huffed and crossed his arms in defeat as he tried not to smile in vain while Pietro pretended to fall over under the weight of both bags. Kurt grudgingly took away one bag, mumbling about how it was too much for Pietro to do for him.

After chowing down on a food court burger feast--seeing as both seemed to have the metabolism of gods--they had gained enough energy to haul the bags through the parking lot. After they had stuffed everything into the giant case on the back of Pietro's bike with trouble, and Kurt was done telling Pietro it served him right for spending so much on him, Pietro surprised him with a big hug. As Kurt relaxed into his touch Pietro teasingly tugged gently on the base of his hidden tail, making him gasp and arch closer to Pietro. Both boys blushed and as Kurt pulled away Pietro filed his new found information away for later use.

Coaxing Kurt back onto the bike he convinced the ruffled boy to come back to the brotherhood with him. Neither noticed the pair of eyes that followed them out of the parking lot, fixed securely on Kurt.


	6. Knight in Shining Armor

When they arrived at the brotherhood they slowly walked toward the door hand in hand while Pietro continued to convince Kurt it was completely fine for him to buy the boy some cloths.

"That's the one good thing about my dad, yes he's an evil guy hell bent on seeing his evil plans succeed, but before he was evil he was quit the business man. Some might say I ‘want for nothing’ he laughed jovially, as if he hadn't just admitted to being filthy stinking rich. Kurt whacked him on the arm playfully as he scowled.

In the end Kurt had at least agreed to take the presents--which they’d left with the bike until later--but not before making the older boy swear he wouldn't go out on a spending spree again. 

As they walked up the steps Kurt hesitated on the porch, glancing at the jeep parked in the open garage.

"I...is that Lance's jeep?" He questioned nervously, blanching as Pietro affirmed his fears. He glanced worriedly up at the taller male, thinking this may have been a bad idea. Pietro smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine". He tried to assure the fidgeting boy, who was having none of it. "Ok, just watch" Pietro ordered as he practically dragged him inside. Stopping in the hallway between the kitchen and the living room he shouted a loud greeting and waited for Lance and Toad to walk in from the kitchen, and for Blob to turn away from the TV.

All three looked at him curiously while he held a fidgeting Nightcrawler by the waist. Turning Kurt toward him he kissed the shorter boy deeply and Kurt made no attempt to stop him, though he might have let one nervous whimper escape.

"Anyone got a problem with that?" Pietro addressed the room, pulling a wide eyed, fearful Kurt closer to him. Blob grunted nonchalantly and turned back to the TV with a shrug. Avalanche grinned widely and cheerfully proclaimed "nope", and Toad shook his head quickly back and forth as he backed out of the room saying only "naw man, it's cool dude, just awesome yo!" before he ran for a different room. Pietro cackled at his antics.

"I was kind of angry when I left the other day" was his only explanation for his housemate's behavior. Kurt was still gaping at Avalanche who was still smiling just as cheerily at him.

"But...I'm Nightcrawler" Kurt said, as if he were informing them they had made a mistake. Lance raised an eyebrow directed at Pietro and laughed.

"I know?" He questioned his speedster teammate, who simply waved him off and turned Kurt toward him. Lance shrugged and walked back into the kitchen and Pietro gently shook Kurt, who seemed to be in shock. 

"Kurt?" He questioned, and said boy looked up at him with wide eyes before his face scrunched up in a strange manner. It wasn't until Pietro had reached up to try and sooth the tenseness away that he noticed Kurt's fur was wet.

His holowatch form didn't show tears.

Pietro's eyes widened and he tugged Kurt down the hall as fast as he could.

"Come with me" he told the now gently sobbing boy, and led him quickly to his room at the very end of the hallway. Closing the door behind them, Pietro led the distraught male over to his bed and sat him down. As he settled the upset male, he pulled off the holowatch and tossed it onto his bedside dresser. He absolutely despised that thing, for it always kept him from seeing who Kurt really was, and now he had discovered it didn't even reveal Kurt's sadness to him.

He watched as Kurt tried to hide his tears by covering his face with his hands, but Pietro would have none of that and gently tugged his arms down before kissing the tears away from Kurt's soft, short fur.

"Why?" Kurt sobbed and Pietro tried to comfort him with soft shushing and caressed Kurt's cheeks while simultaneously wiping away tears. Kurt finally calmed down enough to choke out his question, to Pietro's great relief and confusion. "Why are they so welcoming and nice to me?" 

Pietro looked confused as he grasped Kurt's chin trying to make him look up from his tears.

"You want them to be mean to you?" he questioned, confused.

"Nein!" Kurt shook his head fiercely, frantically willing away any leftover tears. "I...I don't understand why they don't hate me!" Kurt explained, much to the even greater confusion of Pietro.

"Hey, hey! Look at me! I know we’re supposed to fight each other and everything, but that shit stays on the battlefield. We're not like that all the time you know. We can be nice too, and what's not to like about you" Pietro spoke, trying to make Kurt feel better, but the blue boy simply shook his head.

"Nein nein! It's just..." he cut himself off, hiding his face in his hands once again, fiercely shaking his head back and forth.

"What is it, what's made you so upset? Please, explain it to me so I can help." Pietro held Kurt close to him as best he could while kneeling on the floor in front of him. Kurt rested his forehead against Pietro's pale neck, mumbling

"Nobody...at the mansion...monster" Pietro jerked away at that last part, seeing Kurt looking pleadingly at him.

"What?" He asked of the frazzled male. Kurt scrunched his eyes closed and spoke as quickly as he could, and Pietro was silently grateful his forte was speed or else he wouldn't have been able to catch what was said.

"Nobody-ever-likes-me, even-at-the-mansion, they-just-think-I'm-a-monster." When he had finished he glanced up ashamed, watching Pietro's utter look of horror, before his look changed to unbridled anger.

"You are NOT a monster, who said that to you?" He raged, making Kurt jolt and look away.  
"Well, not everyone. My foster parents seemed to like me and the circus folk certainly did" he finished with a bitter laugh. Pietro moved to sit on the bed next to him, making him face the taller boy once more.

"Are you telling me everyone in that place thinks you’re a monster?" He prodded, almost growling when Kurt told him he didn't think, he knew, because they told him almost daily. He only calmed a little when Kurt admitted not everyone did that.

Pietro wasn't assured for long as Kurt listed off the people he suspected might not hate him as much as he thought which only included Beast, Wolverine, Rogue, Forge, the Professor, and possibly Kitty. Pietro seemed to growl angrily at that and Kurt decided it was his turn to try and lighten the mood. He let out an actual playful growl and smiled when Pietro looked at him surprised. Forcefully smiling he tugged Pietro toward him gently, placing soft kisses across his tense jaw as they leaned back against the bed.

"Why do you think I was running away? But now, now I have you!" He assured Pietro, moving to kiss the tension from his thinly pressed lips. Pietro relaxed a bit, but still frowned at what he had learned.

Were they really calling him a monster at the mansion? Hadn’t anyone done anything to stop it? By the way Kurt had acted it seemed they were saying or doing much more than just calling him a monster.

Just.

He cringed inwardly at his choice of words, as if 'just' calling him a monster wasn't enough. 

He allowed Kurt to tug him more fully onto the bed as Kurt continued trying to kiss his displeasure away. Resituating them, Pietro wrapped his arms tightly around the warmer boy as he inhaled Kurt's scent.

"I don't like that, any of it. If anyone messes with you, you can come here, whenever you want, at any time, ok? Promise me you will, promise me you won't take this crap anymore! You don't deserve this! You should be treated so much better! Don't they know how amazing you are? I mean Mrmph!" Pietro's growing tirade was silenced by Kurt's passionate kiss and he became momentarily distracted.

Kurt reluctantly pulled away, shushing Pietro from continuing with a look and a finger pressed against his frowning mouth. Pietro pleaded with his eyes and Kurt nodded his understanding and moved his hand to clutch at pale white hair on the back of Pietro's head for comfort. Pietro sighed.

"What a way for this day to go, I'm practically dead tired from emotional exhaustion alone" he strained to smile, but Kurt could see it wasn't as hard as before and he saw a glint in the blue eyes. "Maybe we should take a nap, you know, recover from our hectic day." As he said this he was slowly crowding his way closer to Kurt, wrapping his arms more firmly around him, placing kisses against a soft blue neck. Kurt sighed pleasantly and realized he was rather exhausted. He cuddled against his white haired knight in shining armor.

Kurt couldn't believe how amazing his life was now turning out to be. Pietro was what he had been missing, and now he felt as though nothing else in the world mattered. Unconsciously he wrapped his tail around Pietro and snuck it up the back of his shirt oh so slightly. He didn't miss the happy hum Pietro elicited and lazily glance up to see his contented look. Pietro shrugged and said "I love your tail" before kissing Kurt right on the nose and closing his eyes. 

Kurt drifted off with a smile on his face, happier than he'd felt in a long time, and Pietro soon followed him into the land of dreams. Neither anticipated anymore drastic changes to their lives, but unbeknownst to them a storm was brewing.


End file.
